Panel Spacer of Dish Washer, and Dish Washer Using the Same

ABSTRACT

A panel spacer and a dishwasher using the panel spacer are provided. The dishwasher has a door and a control panel located a predetermined distance from the door. The panel spacer includes a spacer cover installed between the door and the control panel, and at least one spacer body coupled to the spacer cover. The spacer body fills a gap between the door and the control panel together with the spacer cover.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a dishwasher, and more particularly, toa panel spacer of a dishwasher and a dishwasher using the same.

BACKGROUND ART

A dishwasher is a home appliance that sprays high-pressure wash liquidthrough spray nozzles to wash and remove food residue left on surfacesof dishes. Specifically, a dishwasher includes a tub forming a washcompartment, and a sump installed at the bottom of the tub for storingwash liquid. Installed inside the sump is a wash pump that pumps washliquid to the spray nozzles. The wash liquid pumped to the spray nozzlesis discharged under high pressure through spray holes at the ends of thenozzles. The high-pressure wash liquid spray collides with the surfacesof dishes, so that food residue and other impurities on the dishes fallto the floor of the tub.

A door at the front of the dishwasher has a front panel installed at itsfront portion for aesthetic purposes. A control panel is installed abovethe door. The control panel includes various buttons, a display portion,etc.

However, in dishwashers according to the related art, front panels aresized according to the type of product they are intended for. Thus, whena front panel is installed on a door, and the dimensions of the formerare smaller than those of the latter, a gap is created between the topof the front panel and the control panel, creating an unsightlyappearance.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical Problem

An object of the present invention is to provide a panel spacer of adishwasher capable of filling a gap between a front panel of a door anda control panel to create the outward appearance of a single cover, anda dishwasher using the panel spacer.

Technical Solution

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided apanel spacer of a dishwasher having a door and a control panel located apredetermined distance from the door, the panel spacer including: aspacer cover installed between the door and the control panel; and atleast one spacer body coupled to the spacer cover for filling a gapbetween the door and the control panel together with the spacer cover.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda dishwasher having a door and a control panel located a predetermineddistance from the door, the dishwasher including: a spacer coverinstalled between the door and the control panel; at least one spacerbody coupled to the spacer cover for filling a gap between the door andthe control panel together with the spacer cover; and an elastic membercoupled between the spacer cover and the spacer body and/or between twospacer bodies, the elastic member for pressing against the spacer coverand/or one of the two spacer bodies.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS

The panel spacer and the dishwasher using the same according to thepresent invention allows the panel spacer to be mounted in order to givethe dishwasher the outward appearance of having a single front panel,when a front panel that is installed on the front of a door hasdifferent dimensions than the door.

Additionally, even when the size of doors vary according to the type ofproduct, the panel spacer according to the present invention can beinstalled, so that the same front panel can be used on differentproducts regardless of their door size, thus reducing manufacturingcost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dishwasher according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an assembled panel spacer accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the panel spacer in FIG.2 in a disassembled state.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a portion of a panel spacer according to thepresent invention in a coupled state.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a dishwasher according to thepresent invention will be described in detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dishwasher according to the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a dishwasher 100 according to the present inventionincludes an outer case 130 forming the outer shape of the dishwasher 100and protecting the components within, and a door 140 installed at thefront portion of the outer case 130 for opening and closing the front ofthe wash compartment.

In further detail, the door 140 has a front panel 110 mounted on thefront thereof, and a panel spacer 200 installed if the dimensions of thedoor 140 and the front panel 110 are different. The panel spacer 200 isformed to be stackable, so that an appropriate number of panel spacer200 pieces can be stacked and assembled according to the dimensionaldiscrepancy between the front panel 110 and the door 140. The structureof the panel spacer 200 will be described below with reference to thediagrams.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an assembled panel spacer accordingto the present invention, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showingthe panel spacer in FIG. 2 in a disassembled state; and FIG. 4 is adiagram showing a portion of a panel spacer according to the presentinvention in a coupled state.

Referring to FIGS. 2 through 4, the panel spacer 200 according to thepresent invention includes a spacer cover 210 with a predetermined widthand length, a spacer body 220 stacked below the spacer cover 210, and anelastic member 230 inserted between the spacer cover 210 and the spacerbody 220 and between respective spacer bodies 220 to provide elasticityto each spacer body 220.

In further detail, the spacer cover 210 provides the base for stackingthe panel spacer 200, and includes an upper plate 211 and a lower plate212 spaced a predetermined distance below and formed parallel to theupper plate 211. The upper and lower plates 211 and 212 are injectionmolded in one piece. A door hook 213 is formed at the rear of the upperplate 211 and the lower plate 212 for coupling the spacer cover 210 tothe front of the door 140, and a connector receptacle 214 cut apredetermined distance into the rear of the lower plate 212 for couplingthe spacer body 220 to the bottom of the spacer cover 210.

As a structure for stacking below the spacer cover 210, the spacer body220 has stepped spacer cover seat 223 formed at either end thereof toseat the lower portion of the spacer cover 210 on. Like the spacer cover210, the spacer body 220 also has an upper and lower plate 221 and 222.The upper plate 221 has at least one knob through-hole 224 formedtherein for accommodating the insertion of an inserting knob 232 of theelastic member 230 (to be described below). An elastic member retaininghook 225 for fixing the elastic member 230 is formed on the bottomsurface of the upper plate 221 around the knob through-hole 224. Aconnector 226 for fastening the spacer body 220 to the spacer cover 210is formed to protrude a predetermined height from the top surface of theupper plate 221. Specifically, the connector 226 has a vertical portion228 extending a predetermined height from the upper surface of the upperplate 221, and a horizontal portion 227 extending horizontally acrossthe top of the vertical portion 228 to form a “T” shape therewith. Theconnector 226 inserts into the connector receptacle 214 of the spacercover 210.

Also, a connector receptacle 229, for inserting the connector 226 ofanother spacer body 220 to couple the two spacer bodies 220, is formedon the lower plate 222 of a spacer body 220.

The elastic member 230 that inserts between the spacer body 220 and thespacer cover 210 and between stacked spacer bodies 220 has a roughlyrectangular box-shaped body 231, a retaining hook slot 233 cut apredetermined depth into either end portion of the body 231 forinserting the elastic member retaining hook 225, a flexible arm 234formed a predetermined length within the body 231, and an inserting knob232 protruding a predetermined height from the end of the flexible arm234. A cut-out 235 is formed within the body 231 around the perimeter ofthe flexible arm 234 to give the flexible arm 234 a predetermined amountof elasticity.

To explain the assembling process of the above-described panel spacer200, the elastic member 230 is first inserted between the elastic memberretaining hooks 225 formed at the bottom of the upper plate 221 of thespacer body 220, while the inserting knob 232 is inserted through theknob through-hole 224. The elastic member retaining hooks 225 have theirbottom portions bent inward to support the bottom surface of the elasticmember 230, and prevent the elastic member 230 from detaching from thespacer body 220.

After the elastic member 230 is installed on the spacer body 220, thevertical portion 228 of the connector 226 formed on the upper plate 221of the spacer body 220 is inserted into the connector receptacle 214formed in the lower plate 212 of the spacer cover 210. Here, thehorizontal portion 227 of the connector 226 is slidingly mounted overthe top surface of the lower plate 212 of the spacer cover 210. Thebottom portion of both ends of the spacer cover 210 are seated on thespacer cover seat 223 formed at the sides of the spacer body 220. Then,the inserting knob 232, having been inserted through the knobthrough-hole 224, is pressed on by the bottom surface of the lower plate212 of the spacer cover 210. Thus, the inserting knob 232 descends apredetermined depth down through the knob through-hole 224. In thisprocess, the restoring force of the flexible arm 234 connected to theinserting knob 232 accumulates.

The length of the vertical portion 228 is made to be longer than thethickness of the lower plate 212 of the spacer cover 210, so that thereis a slight gap between the spacer cover 210 and the spacer body 220.The accumulated restoring force of the flexible arm 234 causes theinserting knob 232 to press against the lower plate 212 of the spacercover 210. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper surface of the lowerplate 212 of the spacer cover 210 and the lower surface of thehorizontal portion 227 of the connector 226 are pressed together.

The above-structured panel spacer 200 is assembled with an appropriatenumber of spacer bodies 220 stacked at its lower portion, and isinstalled in the gap created by the door 140 and the front panel 110, sothat the outward appearance of the door 140 is one of a single frontpanel 110 installed thereon. By using the panel spacer 200 structureaccording to the present invention, the same front panel can beinstalled on doors of different dimensions in order to reducemanufacturing costs.

The installation structure of the front panel of a dishwasher accordingto the present invention allows a panel spacer to be installed when thedimensions of a front panel are different from those of a door, so thatthe outward appearance is that of a single front panel installed.

In addition, even when the size of door is different for each product,by installing the panel spacer according to the present invention, thesame front panel can be interchangeably used regardless of the door sizeto reduce manufacturing cost.

While the present invention has been described and illustrated hereinwith reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparentto those skilled in the art that various modifications and variationscan be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers themodifications and variations of this invention that come within thescope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The panel spacer of a dishwasher according to the present invention anda dishwasher using the same improves the outward appearance of thedishwasher while reducing manufacturing costs, for a high industrialapplicability.

1. A panel spacer of a dishwasher having a door and a control panellocated a predetermined distance from the door, the panel spacercomprising: a spacer cover installed between the door and the controlpanel; and at least one spacer body coupled to the spacer cover forfilling a gap between the door and the control panel together with thespacer cover.
 2. The panel spacer according to claim 1, furthercomprising an elastic member coupled between the spacer cover and thespacer body and/or between two spacer bodies, the elastic member forpressing against the spacer cover and/or one of the two spacer bodies.3. The panel spacer according to claim 1, wherein the spacer cover iscoupled to the door.
 4. The panel spacer according to claim 1, whereinthe spacer cover includes a connector receptacle formed in a bottomsurface thereof for coupling with the spacer body.
 5. The panel spaceraccording to claim 4, wherein the spacer body includes a connectorformed to protrude from a top surface thereof for coupling with theconnector receptacle.
 6. The panel spacer according to claim 5, whereinthe connector has a vertical portion passing through the connectorreceptacle and a horizontal portion extending from the vertical portionand catching on the connector receptacle.
 7. The panel spacer accordingto claim 1, wherein the spacer body includes a spacer cover seat formedthereon for seating a lower portion of the spacer cover.
 8. A dishwasherhaving a door and a control panel located a predetermined distance fromthe door, the dishwasher comprising: a spacer cover installed betweenthe door and the control panel; at least one spacer body coupled to thespacer cover for filling a gap between the door and the control paneltogether with the spacer cover; and an elastic member coupled betweenthe spacer cover and the spacer body and/or between two spacer bodies,the elastic member for pressing against the spacer cover and/or one ofthe two spacer bodies.
 9. The dishwasher according to claim 8, whereinthe spacer body includes a through-hole formed in a top surface thereoffor a portion of the elastic member to pass through.
 10. The dishwasheraccording to claim 8, wherein the spacer body includes a retaining hookformed thereon for hooking the elastic member.
 11. The dishwasheraccording to claim 10, wherein the retaining hook extends apredetermined distance downward and has a lower end thereof hookinginwards.
 12. The dishwasher according to claim 8, wherein the elasticmember includes: a body; a flexible arm extending from the body andhaving elasticity; and an inserting knob protruding a predeterminedheight from the flexible arm.
 13. The dishwasher according to claim 12,wherein the flexible arm includes a periphery that is cut apredetermined distance from the body for imparting the elasticity to theflexible arm.
 14. The dishwasher according to claim 8, wherein thespacer cover includes a connector receptacle formed in a bottom surfacethereof for coupling with the spacer body.
 15. The dishwasher accordingto claim 14, wherein the spacer body includes a connector protrudingfrom an upper surface thereof for coupling with the connectorreceptacle.
 16. The dishwasher according to claim 15, wherein theconnector has a vertical portion passing through the connectorreceptacle and a horizontal portion extending from the vertical portionand catching on the connector receptacle.
 17. The dishwasher accordingto claim 8, wherein the spacer body includes a spacer cover seat formedthereon for seating a lower portion of the spacer cover.